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Augments
Augments refers to a sub-race of human being who were cultivated through either selective breeding, genetic engineering or bio-augmentation. The terms is mostly found in the Star Trek mythos and was first coined by the fictional scientist Doctor Arik Soong. Variations of augmented human beings have been found in other science fiction media as well. Star Trek .]] The most famous of augmented human beings within the mythos is Khan Noonien Singh, who was first introduced in season one of the original Star Trek television series, "Space Seed". Khan was a notorious historical figure in the internal mythology of the series and was a key figure in the Eugenics Wars, which took place during the late 1990s. Khan and his followers were products of selective breeding and as such, had enhanced strength, stamina and intelligence, far in excess to that of a normal human being. As the Eugenics Wars came to a close, Khan and his disciples fled from Earth aboard the ship SS Botany Bay where they remained in suspended animation for more than two-hundred years. Star Trek: Space Seed More than a century later, an Earth scientist named Doctor Arik Soong, conducted his own experiments in the field of genetic engineering and created a race of enhanced supermen using cell samples that he had stolen from a research facility called Cold Station 12. Soong was eventually imprisoned for his crimes, but his Augments grew to adulthood and adopted the same code of ethics as that of Khan Noonian Singh. In 2154, the Augments commandeered a [[Klingon Bird-of-Prey|Klingon Bird-of-Prey]] and used it to rescue Doctor Soong, who at the time, was under the care of Captain Jonathan Archer of the Earth starship Enterprise NX-01. Star Trek: Enterprise: Borderland In 2267, Captain James T. Kirk of the [[USS Enterprise NCC-1701|USS Enterprise]] found the SS Botany Bay adrift in space. Khan Noonian Singh and 70 of his disciples were resuscitated and welcomed aboard the ship. It was only after Khan had regained his strength that Kirk learned of the man's notorious history and the true nature of he and his followers. Khan seduced the ship's historian, Marla McGivers, and convinced her to aid him in his plot to take control of the ship. His plan eventually failed however and Khan was arrested and put on trial. Kirk wanted to give Khan and his people a fighting chance, so instead of bringing them back to Earth to be imprisoned, he marooned them on the planet Ceti Alpha V. He offered them the opportunity to forge their own lives for themselves - a condition which Khan found to be acceptable. Marla McGivers elected to accompany Khan rather than face a Federation Court Martial. Star Trek: Space Seed Six months later however, Ceti Alpha V's neighboring planet, Ceti Alpha VI, exploded shifting Ceti Alpha V's orbit and the entire surface of the world was rendered uninhabitable. Khan and his people struggled to survive, but the lush paradise they had grown accustomed to was gone forever. Fifteen years later, crew members of the USS Reliant came to Ceti Alpha V, believing that it was actually Ceti Alpha VI. Khan and his people took command of the vessel and he embarked upon a plot to avenge himself against James Kirk (who was now an Admiral). Khan engaged the crew of the Enterprise at the Mutara Nebula and ultimately lost his life. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan In 2348, Richard and Amsha Bashir took their young child Julian to a hospital on Adigeon Prime. Julian had a learning disability and the Bashirs had hoped that the scientists at Adigeon Prime could do something to improve his condition. He was administered a treatment known as "accelerated critical neural pathway formation", which effectively rewrote his entire DNA. The growth rate of the neuronal networks in his cerebral cortex were accelerated and his IQ increased five points a day over the course of two weeks. Further treatments led to improvements in his hand-eye coordination, reflexes, vision, stamina, height and weight. In the end everything but his name had been altered in some way. This type of genetic engineering made Julian Bashir's physiology similar to that of the Augments of the mid 22nd century. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Doctor Bashir, I Presume? Other types of Augments Nietzscheans: Nietzscheans are an alien race featured in the 2000-2005 science fiction television series Andromeda. They are one of the provincial races presented in the series and were introduced in the pilot episode "Under the Night". The Nietzscheans are an offshoot breed of humanity who have been genetically augmented into specimens of complete physical perfection over the span of thousands of years. Aside from physical superiority, they are virtually indistinguishable from baseline humans. The only visible difference between a human and Nietzschean is that Nietzscheans have sharpened, external bone growths that extend from their forearms which can be used as weapons. Nietzscheans believe in genetic superiority and have based their culture on the beliefs of the 19th century Earth philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Andromeda: Under the Night Appearances * Augments appearances See also References